Developing SEPTA's Sustainability Program Plan

SEPTA worked with its partners to develop a program plan for sustainability. The plan, entitled "SEP-TAINABLE: The Route to Regional Sustainability," places SEPTA's existing sustainability initiatives into a comprehensive, strategic framework for building a more sustainable SEPTA and a more sustainable region.

What is Our Approach to Sustainability?

SEPTA is in the business of sustainability. Our approach to sustainability is "triple-bottom-line" - accounting for economic, social, and environmental organizational needs and regional opportunities. Working with our partners, SEPTA will use this three-pronged "people-planet-prosperity" approach to drive sustainable decision-making through the organization and work to build a more sustainable region.

How It Fits Into Our Strategy for the Future

Strategic Business Plan for Fiscal Years 2015 through 2019

SEPTA's Strategic Business Plan established a vision to be the region's preferred choice for transportation, and to earn that choice through:

Connecting the region for integrated mobility

Sustaining our environment and preserving our system for future generations

Committing to continuous improvement and innovation

Providing safe, excellent service by a team of dedicated employees

The strategic plan also established a mission statement for how SEPTA plans to pursue this vision:

SEPTA is dedicated to delivering safe, reliable, sustainable, accessible, and customer-focused public transit services, contributing to the region's economic vitality, sustainability, and enhanced quality of life.

Triple-bottom-line (environmental-social-economic) values embedded in SEPTA's Sustainability Program now permeate the organization's vision and mission. Sustainability goals directly relate back to SEPTA's broader corporate strategy. Key principles, such as continuous improvement and innovation, are formalized in SEPTA's environmental and sustainability management system to emphasize the importance of data-driven decision-making and a structure for measuring progress toward a series of key performance indicators over time.

In many ways, sustainability at SEPTA is no longer a program unto itself, but a principle upon which the organization has pursued a culture of continual improvement in management. Today, sustainability is the lens through which SEPTA views its impact on the region and holds itself accountable for ensuring an economically prosperous, socially responsible, and environmentally sustainable future.